LAST week, The National Lottery celebrated its 13th anniversary – showing that the number 13 has been more than lucky for some.

Superstition dictates that 13 is synonymous with bad luck, but this is far from the truth for lottery players. The last 13 years have seen more than 2,000 millionaires created across the UK, while more than 10,000 people have won a share of the Lotto jackpot to date.

In the North West alone, there are now more than 200 Lottery millionaires and in total, more than £1.1 billion has been paid out in major prizes worth £50,000 or more. When it comes to the postcodes with the highest number of prizes paid out since the launch of The National Lottery, the Liverpool area continues to stay in the top five luckiest lottery hotspots.

Major Merseyside Lotto winners include Everton fan, Robert Davies from Kirkby, who swore he would not become ‘toffee-nosed’ after netting £1,454,780 on Lotto in September 2006.

There was a ‘joint’ celebration for Tony and Greta Dodd from Wallasey, who were able to pay for knee replacement operations after they walked away £2,438,155 in July this year.

To commemorate 13 years of good luck, here are 13 amazing Lottery facts:

1. Around 13 new millionaires have been created every month by The National Lottery since the first draw on November 19 1994.

2. Up to the 13th anniversary draw on Saturday November 17 this year, the number 13 ball remains the least drawn main and bonus ball. It has been drawn 132 times as a main ball and 15 times as a bonus ball, the combined total of 147 times being seven less than the second least drawn ball, number 41.

3. The number 13 ball did not appear for 49 consecutive Lotto draws between July 12 1997 and December 27 1997.

4. The odds of winning the Lotto jackpot are one in 13,983,816.

5. Coming in at overall 13th place on The National Lottery rich list is Marion Richardson from Gateshead, who won £16,752,144 on April 9 2004.

6. Only one major winner has hit a £13m jackpot: Dean Allen from Essex won £13,861,061 on Lotto on August 5 2000.

7. The 13th Lotto draw took place on February 11 1995, when one winner won the £9,015,108 jackpot.

8. The 13th millionaire created by The National Lottery was Kay Taylor from Diss in Norfolk, who won £3,097,415 on May 6 1995.

9. Karl Crompton from Lancashire won £10,903,198 on May 4 1996, the 13th Lotto Rollover, while the 13th Lotto Double Rollover took place on October 23 2002, when Ron Ullah from Essex won £5,177,425.

10. Buying a ticket on Friday 13th proved lucky for retired West Midlands couple, Irene and Ronald Jones from Bilston, who won the £9,355,596 Lotto Triple Rollover jackpot on October 14 2006.

11. Thirteen proved to be a lucky number for the members of a 13-strong syndicate of Littlehampton taxi drivers who won their second major Lotto prize – a £546,480 share of the jackpot – on February 24 2007. The group had previously won £144,222 by matching five main numbers and the bonus ball back in 2002.

12. The first EuroMillions draw took place on Friday, February 13 2004.

13.And finally . . . there has been a ‘Lotto’ to celebrate in Colchester after The National Lottery’s 13th anniversary proved lucky for the Essex town, with an unprecedented double jackpot win in a week.